Russian President Vladimir Putin told a room full of U.S. and Russian reporters that he wanted Donald Trump to win the presidency in 2016, in one of many revelations in a joint press conference that only fueled the spectacle of the Russia story.

Trump hailed a new thaw in U.S.-Russia relations has already begun following a two-hour private meeting between the two men – and then fired repeatedly at the Mueller probe and Democratic rivals in a whirling display that immediately overshadowed any substantive talks the leaders held.

Press - Conference - Putin - Information - Trump

In a bizarre press conference, Putin denied having compromising information on Trump – even as he touted his own spy skills. And Trump denied the infamous dirty dossier by saying if the dirt were real it would have come out already.

'And now to the compromising material …' Putin, a former KGB colonel responded when asked if the Russians hold compromising leverage over Trump.

Dossiers - Putin - Past

'I do know how dossiers are made up,' Putin joked, referring to his past.

But Trump was having none of it – at a press conference where he demanded someone find Hillary Clinton's deleted emails, pointed to a server associated with a House Democratic staffer, and accepted a soccer ball from Putin after congratulating the Russian team's performance at the World Cup.

'And - Trump - Claims - Steele - Dossier

'And I have to say if they had it, it would have been out long ago,' Trump interjected, referencing unverified claims in the Steele dossier about his conduct in a Moscow hotel room during the Miss Universe Pageant before he was president.

'Our relationship has never been worse than it is now. However that changed as of about four hours ago,' the president told a packed room of reporters in Helsinki at his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Men - One-on-one - Notetaker - Staff - Meeting

The men met one-on-one, with no notetaker or staff, before larger meeting.